Photographic materials present significant preservation concerns in cultural heritage collections. They are often heavily used and are fragile and susceptible to damage due to improper handling and storage conditions. Visual examples of photographic processes and deteriorated photographs will be identified and discussed. Taught in two two-hour sessions over the course of two days, topics covered will include:

Early photographic through contemporary print processes

Issues with prints, color, film, glass, and albums

Environment and storage guidelines

Handling, housing, and security guidelines

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this class, students will be able to:

Identify common photographic processes.

Discuss proper care and handling of a variety of photographic materials.

List appropriate storage materials and quality vendors of those materials.

Employ sound preservation planning for photographic collections.

Instructor: Annie Peterson

Annie Peterson is Preservation Services Librarian at LYRASIS. Before joining LYRASIS, Annie Peterson was the Preservation Librarian for the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library at Tulane University. She has an MLIS from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. She has a range of experience in preservation and conservation that provides a strong base for helping the archives, historical societies, libraries and museums that we reach through the Preservation Field Services project. She is active in the American Library Association and is the Chair of the Association of Library Collections and Technical Services Preservation and Reformatting Section. In 2016 Annie was awarded the Esther J. Piercy Award from ALCTS, an award that is given to recognize the contribution to areas of librarianship included in library collections and technical service by a librarian who has shown outstanding promise for continuing contribution and leadership.